Language and Linguistic Orthography

Abstract

Orthography is an undeniably unique human achievement; this work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of this achievement, by clarifying the concept of orthography and acknowledging its significance. Besides that, it demonstrates the broader types of orthographies that will face any foreign language learner—language orthography and linguistic orthography—and highlights the distinction between the two. In addition to discussing relevant work on orthography, it concludes with an evaluation of the two types, highlighting the differences in many aspects that are related to function, development and usage. Such work will enhance our understanding of orthography and surely contribute, not only to linguistic, but also to language research in general.